by Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org
The Wyoming Cowgirls dug themselves a hole that they couldn't get out of, falling to a talented Oregon team on Sunday, 78-66 in the Arena-Auditorium.
The Ducks (9-2) bothered the Cowgirls with a smothering full-court press and scored the game's first 11 points, leading by as much as 22 in the first half. Oregon forced 26 Wyoming turnovers in the game, including 21 in the first half.
The first 10 minutes told the story of the game.
"With today's game, I was very pleased with the effort that we gave," Wyoming coach Joe Legerski said. "To dig yourself such a big hole to begin with, we're down 20-24 points early. It jut became an issue for us to have to fight from that far back."
Oregon led 45-28 at halftime and was back up by 21 in the second half. The Cowgirls battled back to make it a nine-point game with 11 minutes left, only to see the Ducks answer with a 10-0 run for some breathing room.
"It's very difficult in practice to try to simulate the speed of the game and what is going to happen with the pressure," Legerski said. "I thought we got better as the game when along, but the game was determined in the first eight minutes."
Wyoming junior Aubrey Vandiver, who led the Cowgirls with 19 points and 10 rebounds, said the start was obviously disappointing for the team.
"We just didn't come out prepared and their pressure got us with so many turnovers," Vandiver said. "It was a real disappointing first half."
It was a matter of the Cowgirls coming back and doing what they do well, and at times, they were able to do that in the second half. While not into moral victories, they felt better about things after making a game of it in the second half.
"If we wouldn't have gotten ourselves in the hole at the very beginning, we would have been right in there or we could have even come out with the win," Wyoming sophomore guard Kristen Scheffler said. "It's kind of a learning experience for us, to know that we can lay at that level. We just have to calm down and play like we know how."
Even when the Ducks weren't forcing turnovers with their press, they were taking valuable time off the clock for Wyoming to set up its offense.
"We're a very patient team, waiting for the best shot possible, and when you only have about 10 seconds left, you're probably not going to get the best shot and that's what happened," Vandiver said.
Hillary Carlson and Scheffler finished with 15 points each for the Cowgirls and Emma Langford added 12 points. Carlson also had 13 rebounds for UW.
With their press, the Ducks were also able to play more physical than the Cowgirls. Once Wyoming started to push back a little, they were also able to get back in the game.
"We're going to see teams that are going to push us like that, so we definitely can learn from this and be a better team from it," Carlson said.
Micaela Cocks led Oregon with 17 points. Taylor Lilley and Nia Jackson scored 14 points each for the Ducks, followed by Amanda Johnson 10.
"We played exceptionally well in the first half ... the only thing that you worry about is, 'Can we do it for 40 minutes?" Oregon coach Paul Westhead said. "They shot the ball much better in the second half, which we knew they were going to do. We wanted to keep them in control and not let them get too hot."
The Cowgirls will return to action on Dec. 31 at Boise State.
Sunday, December 20, 2009
Friday, December 18, 2009
Cowgirls roll past Weber State
Richard Anderson photo
Wyoming's Aubrey Vandiver drives past Weber State's Ali Thorderson Friday night in the Arena-Auditorium.
By Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org
The ball just fell into Aubrey Vandiver’s hands, so she says. The ball went in the basket for the Cowgirls and not for the Wildcats, which was obvious to the naked eye.
It was all about focus for Wyoming on Friday night, as the Cowgirls ran past Weber State 78-40 in the Arena-Auditorium.
Vandiver, looking as if last year’s redshirt year was well, well behind her, scored 16 points and grabbed a career-high 17 rebounds, as the Cowgirls shot 51 percent from the field, including a sizzling 9 of 16 behind the 3-point arc.
Defensively, Wyoming had 12 blocked shots and 10 steals, holding Weber State to a cool 27 percent from the field.
Yeah, that’s paying attention to the task at hand, all right.
“We’ve been really focused and have been training really hard for this,” said Wyoming junior post Jade Kennedy, who had a pretty decent game herself, with 12 points, five rebounds, five assists, four blocked shots and three steals.
The Cowgirls (9-1) spotted Weber State the first two points of the game, then scored 16 unanswered and led comfortably the rest of the way.
“Tonight we talked about coming out with a focus, an energy, because we knew that Weber State would have that energy to play hard,” Wyoming coach Joe Legerski said. “We got off to a great start offensively and then Weber State upped the intensity and we matched it.”
Kristen Scheffler and Kennedy both scored 12 points for Wyoming, with Hillary Carlson adding 11 points. Six Cowgirls scored at least nine points, as they shot 51 percent from the field, hitting 9 of 16 3-pointers.
Counting last Saturday’s 102-54 win over Dakota State, Wyoming also has 50 assists on 67 field goals made.
“We got into our rhythm and motion and were comfortable shooting, and we’re you’re relaxed shooting, the shots go in more often than not,” Vandiver said.
And if the ball didn’t go into the basket, Vandiver was there, with 12 defensive boards and five offensive rebounds.
“The ball was coming to me,” she said with a smile. “I know on a couple of them my teammates were boxing out so good, that it was just easy to go up and grab the ball.”
Then again, Vandiver’s aggressive play was heated a bit by Weber State grabbing one away from the Laramie junior.
You might say that payback was in store the rest of the way.
“Weber State is pretty aggressive and I know one time they ripped the ball away from me and I sort of used that as motivation,” Vandiver said. “But I know my teammates helped me out a lot, they boxed out. When they do that, it is easy to just let the ball come to you.”
Caitlin Anderson led Weber State (6-6) with 10 points. The Wildcats struggled offensively, shooting just 27 percent from the field, hitting 1 of 13 3-point attempts. Wyoming shut down the Wildcats with two major scoring droughts -- seven minutes in the first half and five minutes in the second half, outscoring Weber State 33-0 in those two runs.
“If we can get our defense going and hold them down -- I think we got a couple of decent steals that led to layups -- it allows us to get into our offense and gets us going more, I guess,” Vandiver said.
The Cowgirls return to action Sunday as part of a men’s-women’s doubleheader, as they host Oregon at 2 p.m. The Cowboys follow by hosting South Dakota at 5:30 p.m.
Saturday, December 12, 2009
Cowgirls roll past Dakota State
by Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org
CASPER -- Finals week and very little practice time didn't seem to slow down the Wyoming Cowgirls Saturday in the annual Wyoming Shootout at the Casper Events Center.
Wyoming coach Joe Legerski couldn't have scripted the game much better, as the Cowgirls rolled to an 102-54 win over NAIA Dakota State.
The stat sheet said it all: 51 percent shooting from the field, 31 assists, five turnovers. Not bad for a team that practiced about as much all week than it normally does in one day.
"We had about three and one-half hours of practice this week because of finals," Legerski said. "Usually, we get in three and one-hours a day. You take a look at how much time we gave away, I thought we came out focused. We moved the basketball; we found Hillary inside and Hillary had 26 points. When they start collapsing on Hillary, we had an answer from the perimeter."
The Cowgirls (8-1) overcame a slow start to dominate the Trojans, an NAIA team that played the game as an exhibition.
Lashonda Martin scored 10 points for the Trojans (4-5).
Carlson was 11 of 16 from the field and also grabbed nine bounds before being replaced midway through the second half.
"We hadn't played in about a week and had just been concentrating on finals," Carlson said. "We had a lot of motivation and we really came out and played well."
Of the 31 assists, 16 came from the point guard position. Starter Randy Richardson had 10 assists and backup Bec Campigli added six.
"It was 31 assists on 39 field goals and that is even more important," Legerski said. "We talked about keeping the ball off of the floor early. We kept it on the floor too much early and we changed up offensively of what we wanted to do and it really seemed to keep the ball off of the floor and cleared the lanes for everyone."
Sophomore Kristen Scheffler scored 21 points, followed by sophomore Emma Langford with 16 and junior Aubrey Vandiver with 13. The Cowgirls led 48-30 at halftime and pulled away behind strong outside shooting. Wyoming opened the second half by hitting its first four 3-pointers and finished the game connecting on 14 of 31 attempts.
"We did a really good job of sharing the ball," Carlson said.
Wyoming Sports.org
CASPER -- Finals week and very little practice time didn't seem to slow down the Wyoming Cowgirls Saturday in the annual Wyoming Shootout at the Casper Events Center.
Wyoming coach Joe Legerski couldn't have scripted the game much better, as the Cowgirls rolled to an 102-54 win over NAIA Dakota State.
The stat sheet said it all: 51 percent shooting from the field, 31 assists, five turnovers. Not bad for a team that practiced about as much all week than it normally does in one day.
"We had about three and one-half hours of practice this week because of finals," Legerski said. "Usually, we get in three and one-hours a day. You take a look at how much time we gave away, I thought we came out focused. We moved the basketball; we found Hillary inside and Hillary had 26 points. When they start collapsing on Hillary, we had an answer from the perimeter."
The Cowgirls (8-1) overcame a slow start to dominate the Trojans, an NAIA team that played the game as an exhibition.
Lashonda Martin scored 10 points for the Trojans (4-5).
Carlson was 11 of 16 from the field and also grabbed nine bounds before being replaced midway through the second half.
"We hadn't played in about a week and had just been concentrating on finals," Carlson said. "We had a lot of motivation and we really came out and played well."
Of the 31 assists, 16 came from the point guard position. Starter Randy Richardson had 10 assists and backup Bec Campigli added six.
"It was 31 assists on 39 field goals and that is even more important," Legerski said. "We talked about keeping the ball off of the floor early. We kept it on the floor too much early and we changed up offensively of what we wanted to do and it really seemed to keep the ball off of the floor and cleared the lanes for everyone."
Sophomore Kristen Scheffler scored 21 points, followed by sophomore Emma Langford with 16 and junior Aubrey Vandiver with 13. The Cowgirls led 48-30 at halftime and pulled away behind strong outside shooting. Wyoming opened the second half by hitting its first four 3-pointers and finished the game connecting on 14 of 31 attempts.
"We did a really good job of sharing the ball," Carlson said.
Saturday, December 5, 2009
Washington State hands Cowgirls first loss
UW-WSU boxscore
PULLMAN, Wash. -- There was no comeback in store on Saturday for the Wyoming Cowgirls, as Washington state built an early lead and never looked back, stopping the Cowgirls 63-50.
The loss was the first of the season, dropping Wyoming to 7-1 on the year. Washington State moved to 3-4.
“I thought we didn’t make very many shots in the first half,” said UW head coach Joe Legerski. “We came out shot 20 percent from the field and went 0-7 from beyond the arc. We had some good looks at the basket, but the ball just didn’t go down. Washington State came out and applied some pressure that we haven’t seen all year, which you can’t simulate in practice. It makes you rush a little when you don’t need to.
" In the second half, we played with a little more composure and didn’t have to rush every shot. We came out and changed up a bit and cut the lead to seven. You have to give Washington State credit they would have an answer on every score which didn’t allow us to gain any ground on the lead. "
Three Cowgirls finished the day in double-figures, led by junior Aubrey Vandiver, who had her fourth double-double of the season with 13 points and 11 rebounds. She was followed by Emma Langford with 10 points and nine rebounds, while Randi Richardson added 10 points and four steals. Wyoming shot 18-of-55 (.327) from the field and were out-rebounded 43-39.
“Aubrey really came out to compete tonight," Legerski said. "She led us in scoring and rebounding, and not only that she was on the floor for 39 minutes. The game tonight was extremely tight. You had to pull down every rebound and make every shot.”
Washington State was led by Jazmine Perkins with a game-high 17 points and six rebounds, while April Cook added 16 points. The Cougars shot 20-of-61 (.328) from the field and 15-of-19 (.789) from the charity stripe.
Wyoming will host the Dakota State Trojans on Saturday at the BlueCross BlueShield of Wyoming Shootout in Casper. The game is set to tip off at 1 p.m.
PULLMAN, Wash. -- There was no comeback in store on Saturday for the Wyoming Cowgirls, as Washington state built an early lead and never looked back, stopping the Cowgirls 63-50.
The loss was the first of the season, dropping Wyoming to 7-1 on the year. Washington State moved to 3-4.
“I thought we didn’t make very many shots in the first half,” said UW head coach Joe Legerski. “We came out shot 20 percent from the field and went 0-7 from beyond the arc. We had some good looks at the basket, but the ball just didn’t go down. Washington State came out and applied some pressure that we haven’t seen all year, which you can’t simulate in practice. It makes you rush a little when you don’t need to.
" In the second half, we played with a little more composure and didn’t have to rush every shot. We came out and changed up a bit and cut the lead to seven. You have to give Washington State credit they would have an answer on every score which didn’t allow us to gain any ground on the lead. "
Three Cowgirls finished the day in double-figures, led by junior Aubrey Vandiver, who had her fourth double-double of the season with 13 points and 11 rebounds. She was followed by Emma Langford with 10 points and nine rebounds, while Randi Richardson added 10 points and four steals. Wyoming shot 18-of-55 (.327) from the field and were out-rebounded 43-39.
“Aubrey really came out to compete tonight," Legerski said. "She led us in scoring and rebounding, and not only that she was on the floor for 39 minutes. The game tonight was extremely tight. You had to pull down every rebound and make every shot.”
Washington State was led by Jazmine Perkins with a game-high 17 points and six rebounds, while April Cook added 16 points. The Cougars shot 20-of-61 (.328) from the field and 15-of-19 (.789) from the charity stripe.
Wyoming will host the Dakota State Trojans on Saturday at the BlueCross BlueShield of Wyoming Shootout in Casper. The game is set to tip off at 1 p.m.
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Cowgirls still unbeten with win over Idaho
Moscow, Idaho — The Wyoming Cowgirl basketball team (7-0 overall) had to overcome a five point halftime deficit to earn a 61-55 victory over the Idaho Vandals (1-7 overall), on Thursday night in Moscow.
“I thought this was a very difficult game tonight,” said head coach Joe Legerski. “Idaho did a tremendous job and ran a matching zone with our offense and we had to make a change to our motion to get things moving in our offense. It seemed like every time we were trying to get back into it, we would miss a shot, not come up with a rebound, and they would make plays. You have to give Idaho a great deal of credit for their effort tonight just for the way they played and competed. We talked about coming out and winning the second half, which is always important whether you’re up or down going into halftime. We showed great composure in the final four to five minutes of the game, and Jade Kennedy hit a huge shot to tie it.
Three Cowgirls finished the night in double-figures led by junior Hillary Carlson. She recorded a game high 20 points, while shooting 7-12 (.583) from the field and 6-8 (.750) from the free throw line. Emma Langford followed with 14 points and six boards, while Jade Kennedy added ten points, four rebounds and four assists. Aubrey Vandiver finished with a team high 12 rebounds and nine points. As a team, Wyoming shot 20-55 (.364) from the field and 13-16 (.813) from the charity stripe.
“Hillary Carlson played about seven minutes in the first half due to foul trouble. We kept going to her in the second half and she comes out of the game with 20 points. She worked extremely hard at the post and you can see the confidence growing in her game. We need her to get the basketball and when she does she makes good decisions.”
Idaho was led by Shaena Kuehu with 14 points and 11 rebounds, while Kanisha Bello had 13 points and Rachele Kloke added 11. The Vandals also shot 20-55 (.364) from the field and out rebounded the Cowgirls 44-33.
It was very low scoring to begin the game as the two teams were tied up at 3-3 through the first media timeout. Hillary Carlson hit a basket to end the scoring drought for the Cowgirls to put them up 5-3, but the Vandals answered with two three-point field goals to regain the lead 9-5. Wyoming responded with a 7-0 run to take a 12-9 lead, unfortunately Idaho scored the next nine straight to take a six point advantage, 18-12. After a Cowgirl three-point field goal, the Vandals scored another seven unanswered to extend the lead to double-figures 25-15. Wyoming closed the gap by scoring the last five points of the half but still headed into the lockerroom down 25-20.
The Cowgirls picked up where they left off from by scoring the first six points to begin the second half to take a one point lead, 26-25. Idaho responded quickly with a 7-0 run to regain the lead, 32-26. Wyoming chipped away at the lead by scoring 10 of 14 to pull even at 36 all, but again the Vandals came back with a 10-2 run to make it an eight point lead, 46-38. The Cowgirls continued to battle and scored six straight to pull within two, 46-44, with 5:40 left in the game. Wyoming would eventually tie it up at 49, but a basket the Vandals put them back up 51-49. Hillary Carlson would hit one of two free throws to make it a one point game, 51-50. Idaho continued to have an answer as they hit another shot to make it 53-50, but Jade Kennedy hit a three-point field goal to tie it up at 1:50 left on the clock. Four straight points by Hillary Carlson made it a two possession game, 57-53. They would allow the Vandals to just score one more field goal as they pulled out the 61-55 victory.
Wyoming will close out the weekend against the Washington State Cougars, on Saturday, Dec. 5. The game is set to tip at 3:00 p.m. MT.
“I thought this was a very difficult game tonight,” said head coach Joe Legerski. “Idaho did a tremendous job and ran a matching zone with our offense and we had to make a change to our motion to get things moving in our offense. It seemed like every time we were trying to get back into it, we would miss a shot, not come up with a rebound, and they would make plays. You have to give Idaho a great deal of credit for their effort tonight just for the way they played and competed. We talked about coming out and winning the second half, which is always important whether you’re up or down going into halftime. We showed great composure in the final four to five minutes of the game, and Jade Kennedy hit a huge shot to tie it.
Three Cowgirls finished the night in double-figures led by junior Hillary Carlson. She recorded a game high 20 points, while shooting 7-12 (.583) from the field and 6-8 (.750) from the free throw line. Emma Langford followed with 14 points and six boards, while Jade Kennedy added ten points, four rebounds and four assists. Aubrey Vandiver finished with a team high 12 rebounds and nine points. As a team, Wyoming shot 20-55 (.364) from the field and 13-16 (.813) from the charity stripe.
“Hillary Carlson played about seven minutes in the first half due to foul trouble. We kept going to her in the second half and she comes out of the game with 20 points. She worked extremely hard at the post and you can see the confidence growing in her game. We need her to get the basketball and when she does she makes good decisions.”
Idaho was led by Shaena Kuehu with 14 points and 11 rebounds, while Kanisha Bello had 13 points and Rachele Kloke added 11. The Vandals also shot 20-55 (.364) from the field and out rebounded the Cowgirls 44-33.
It was very low scoring to begin the game as the two teams were tied up at 3-3 through the first media timeout. Hillary Carlson hit a basket to end the scoring drought for the Cowgirls to put them up 5-3, but the Vandals answered with two three-point field goals to regain the lead 9-5. Wyoming responded with a 7-0 run to take a 12-9 lead, unfortunately Idaho scored the next nine straight to take a six point advantage, 18-12. After a Cowgirl three-point field goal, the Vandals scored another seven unanswered to extend the lead to double-figures 25-15. Wyoming closed the gap by scoring the last five points of the half but still headed into the lockerroom down 25-20.
The Cowgirls picked up where they left off from by scoring the first six points to begin the second half to take a one point lead, 26-25. Idaho responded quickly with a 7-0 run to regain the lead, 32-26. Wyoming chipped away at the lead by scoring 10 of 14 to pull even at 36 all, but again the Vandals came back with a 10-2 run to make it an eight point lead, 46-38. The Cowgirls continued to battle and scored six straight to pull within two, 46-44, with 5:40 left in the game. Wyoming would eventually tie it up at 49, but a basket the Vandals put them back up 51-49. Hillary Carlson would hit one of two free throws to make it a one point game, 51-50. Idaho continued to have an answer as they hit another shot to make it 53-50, but Jade Kennedy hit a three-point field goal to tie it up at 1:50 left on the clock. Four straight points by Hillary Carlson made it a two possession game, 57-53. They would allow the Vandals to just score one more field goal as they pulled out the 61-55 victory.
Wyoming will close out the weekend against the Washington State Cougars, on Saturday, Dec. 5. The game is set to tip at 3:00 p.m. MT.
Monday, November 30, 2009
Cowgirls roll over Bengals
Photo by John McKnight/Wyoming sophomore Leah Fitzgerald goes up for a shot Monday night against Idaho State.UW-Idaho State boxscore
by Bobby Abplanalp
Wyoming Sports.org
The Wyoming Cowgirls opened the game on a 17-2 run and cruised past the Idaho State Bengals for a convincing 76-40 win at the Arena-Auditorium Monday night.
Wyoming is now 6-0 for the second time in the last three seasons, while Idaho State drops to 1-5.
The Cowgirls led 34-18 at the break behind 12 points from Hillary Carlson and 10 points chipped in by Aubrey Vandiver. As a team, Wyoming shot 46 percent in the first half and held Idaho State to just 27 percent from the field.
The second half would not be any better for the Lady Bengals, as the Cowgirl defense continued to wear down Idaho State by forcing several turnovers to increase the motion in their transition game, resulting in wide open shots from the perimeter.
Carlson finished with a season-high 25 points on nine of 11 shooting, including two-out-of-three from beyond the arc. Wyoming shot eight of 20 from 3-point land and made 52 percent of its field goals overall, while the Bengals only managed 29 percent.
“I thought tonight our defensive effort was tremendous for 40 minutes,” UW head coach Joe Legerski said. “To be able to hold a team to 29 percent shooting, really shows the dedication we have to playing defense. I thought Hillary Carlson established herself on the inside. What Hillary was able to accomplish tonight going nine of 11 from the field, it puts a tremendous amount of pressure on everybody. We started getting things open on the perimeter, we shot 40 percent from 3-point range and then all of a sudden you have an inside-outside game that makes it very difficult to stop.”
“Whenever I got the ball, I tried to see if had an opening to score and if I did, I went ahead and took it,” Carlson said. “It felt good tonight. They (the coaches) definitely have been on me to do anything more, especially in that situation when I have that green light to shoot.”
Vandiver ended the night with 13 points, as 10 Cowgirls scored in the game and Wyoming led by as many as 39 points. Oana Iacovita led the Bengals with nine.
Wyoming also shared the wealth earning 19 assists with eight players recording at least one assist. The Cowgirls also took the battle of the boards 39-27.
The Cowgirls will hit the road for the rest of the week when they head to the Pacific Northwest to tangle with the Idaho Vandals on Wednesday at 8 p.m., in Moscow, Idaho before crossing the Palouse River into Pullman, Wash., to face the Washington State Cougars Saturday at 3 p.m.
by Bobby Abplanalp
Wyoming Sports.org
The Wyoming Cowgirls opened the game on a 17-2 run and cruised past the Idaho State Bengals for a convincing 76-40 win at the Arena-Auditorium Monday night.
Wyoming is now 6-0 for the second time in the last three seasons, while Idaho State drops to 1-5.
The Cowgirls led 34-18 at the break behind 12 points from Hillary Carlson and 10 points chipped in by Aubrey Vandiver. As a team, Wyoming shot 46 percent in the first half and held Idaho State to just 27 percent from the field.
The second half would not be any better for the Lady Bengals, as the Cowgirl defense continued to wear down Idaho State by forcing several turnovers to increase the motion in their transition game, resulting in wide open shots from the perimeter.
Carlson finished with a season-high 25 points on nine of 11 shooting, including two-out-of-three from beyond the arc. Wyoming shot eight of 20 from 3-point land and made 52 percent of its field goals overall, while the Bengals only managed 29 percent.
“I thought tonight our defensive effort was tremendous for 40 minutes,” UW head coach Joe Legerski said. “To be able to hold a team to 29 percent shooting, really shows the dedication we have to playing defense. I thought Hillary Carlson established herself on the inside. What Hillary was able to accomplish tonight going nine of 11 from the field, it puts a tremendous amount of pressure on everybody. We started getting things open on the perimeter, we shot 40 percent from 3-point range and then all of a sudden you have an inside-outside game that makes it very difficult to stop.”
“Whenever I got the ball, I tried to see if had an opening to score and if I did, I went ahead and took it,” Carlson said. “It felt good tonight. They (the coaches) definitely have been on me to do anything more, especially in that situation when I have that green light to shoot.”
Vandiver ended the night with 13 points, as 10 Cowgirls scored in the game and Wyoming led by as many as 39 points. Oana Iacovita led the Bengals with nine.
Wyoming also shared the wealth earning 19 assists with eight players recording at least one assist. The Cowgirls also took the battle of the boards 39-27.
The Cowgirls will hit the road for the rest of the week when they head to the Pacific Northwest to tangle with the Idaho Vandals on Wednesday at 8 p.m., in Moscow, Idaho before crossing the Palouse River into Pullman, Wash., to face the Washington State Cougars Saturday at 3 p.m.
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Cowgirls stop pesky Yellow Jackets
Cowgirl junior Aubrey Vandiver
By Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org
With the way the Wyoming Cowgirls have played this season, Tuesday night’s 68-45 win over Black Hills State might have actually been better than it looked.
Yes, the Yellow Jackets are an NAIA team, and yes, the Cowgirls struggled hanging onto the basketball.
But no, it wasn’t a bad game as far as Wyoming head coach Joe Legerski was concerned.
“I mentioned to the players at the end of the game, how proud I was of the way they fought tonight,” Legerski said. “To come up with a 23-point win, hold an opponent to under 50 points and 30 percent from the field. This was a great effort.”
The Cowgirls scored the first 13 points of the contest, highlighted by consecutive 3-pointers by Emma Langford, Jade Kennedy and Randi Richardson.
And Wyoming led by 18 at halftime and 24 early in the second half.
By no means was this a blowout, though, and the much smaller Yellow Jackets at times gave the Cowgirls all they wanted.
"Our goal was to just compete for 40 minutes and that's what we did," Black Hills State coach Mark Nore said. "We came out to see what it was all about and for the first five minutes we were down 13-0. We finally regrouped, basically took a breath, and I thought we competed from that point on."
If the Wyoming faithful thought the Cowgirls would automatically blow the Yellow Jackets out, that isn’t always how it goes, Legerski said.
"At times, I think everyone thinks you should just walk in and win by 30 or 40," Legerski said. "I thought Black Hills State played extremely hard tonight. It was a great learning experience to be able to handle as much pressure as they were able to bring and it was a very difficult matchup for us."
The Cowgirls came away impressed with the Yellow Jackets and their bulldog attack.
“They were really aggressive,” Wyoming junior Aubrey Vandiver said. “They came out with a lot of energy and I think a couple of times when we were on the wing, they were able to push us back and force us into making passes that we normally don’t make, which led to turnovers.”
The quick start by the Cowgirls might have picked up the intensity for the Yellow Jackets, UW junior Hillary Carlson said.
“I think that (13-0) lead might have forced them to pick up their play; that’s when the aggression really started and that’s when we had to get ready and adjust to it,“ Carlson said.
Vandiver easily had their best game of the season, with 20 points, 11 rebounds, five steals and a blocked shot. The same could be said for Carlson, who added 14 points, eight rebounds, five blocked shots and two steals.
“I thought Hillary played excellent,” Legerski said. “Our rock was back tonight, Aubrey Vandiver. She played with so much composure, had another double-double and really was a steady influence in this game.”
The Yellow Jackets hung around in a sloppy game that saw both teams combine for 50 turnovers. Wyoming by as much as 24, but a 3-pointer by BH’s Keely Krolikowksi and two free throws by Alana Dykhouse cut the lead to 14 points with five minutes left in the game.Wyoming responded with seven straight to hold off the BHSU rally.
Krolikowski led the Yellow Jackets with 19 points.
"The second half, they beat us by five," Nore said. " Keely was really aggressive offensively and Alana Dykhouse was really physical, and she did a good job on the glass.Black Hills State forced 21 Wyoming turnovers and bothered Wyoming with the aggressive full court press throughout the game, finishing with nine steals.
The game was an exhibition for the Yellow Jackets, 5-2, and Nore said Tuesday night will prepare them for the rest of the season.
"This game scared me. It was a game where we wanted to come and just see what we were made of and compete," Nore said. "That's a great team, probably the best team that we have ever played. Just to compete like we did, I was really pleased."
For the Cowgirls, they will have a little time off before preparing for Idaho State Monday in the A-A.
Legerski said they will do some film work and treatment on Wednesday, take Thursday off for Thanksgiving and then get back at it on Friday.
“One of the things that we will definitely work on is getting the ball up the floor and get it entered into a wing catch in a position we are able to work with,” Legerski said. “Once again, 5-0 I am happy with, but we still have a great deal of work to do with this young group.”
By Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org
With the way the Wyoming Cowgirls have played this season, Tuesday night’s 68-45 win over Black Hills State might have actually been better than it looked.
Yes, the Yellow Jackets are an NAIA team, and yes, the Cowgirls struggled hanging onto the basketball.
But no, it wasn’t a bad game as far as Wyoming head coach Joe Legerski was concerned.
“I mentioned to the players at the end of the game, how proud I was of the way they fought tonight,” Legerski said. “To come up with a 23-point win, hold an opponent to under 50 points and 30 percent from the field. This was a great effort.”
The Cowgirls scored the first 13 points of the contest, highlighted by consecutive 3-pointers by Emma Langford, Jade Kennedy and Randi Richardson.
And Wyoming led by 18 at halftime and 24 early in the second half.
By no means was this a blowout, though, and the much smaller Yellow Jackets at times gave the Cowgirls all they wanted.
"Our goal was to just compete for 40 minutes and that's what we did," Black Hills State coach Mark Nore said. "We came out to see what it was all about and for the first five minutes we were down 13-0. We finally regrouped, basically took a breath, and I thought we competed from that point on."
If the Wyoming faithful thought the Cowgirls would automatically blow the Yellow Jackets out, that isn’t always how it goes, Legerski said.
"At times, I think everyone thinks you should just walk in and win by 30 or 40," Legerski said. "I thought Black Hills State played extremely hard tonight. It was a great learning experience to be able to handle as much pressure as they were able to bring and it was a very difficult matchup for us."
The Cowgirls came away impressed with the Yellow Jackets and their bulldog attack.
“They were really aggressive,” Wyoming junior Aubrey Vandiver said. “They came out with a lot of energy and I think a couple of times when we were on the wing, they were able to push us back and force us into making passes that we normally don’t make, which led to turnovers.”
The quick start by the Cowgirls might have picked up the intensity for the Yellow Jackets, UW junior Hillary Carlson said.
“I think that (13-0) lead might have forced them to pick up their play; that’s when the aggression really started and that’s when we had to get ready and adjust to it,“ Carlson said.
Vandiver easily had their best game of the season, with 20 points, 11 rebounds, five steals and a blocked shot. The same could be said for Carlson, who added 14 points, eight rebounds, five blocked shots and two steals.
“I thought Hillary played excellent,” Legerski said. “Our rock was back tonight, Aubrey Vandiver. She played with so much composure, had another double-double and really was a steady influence in this game.”
The Yellow Jackets hung around in a sloppy game that saw both teams combine for 50 turnovers. Wyoming by as much as 24, but a 3-pointer by BH’s Keely Krolikowksi and two free throws by Alana Dykhouse cut the lead to 14 points with five minutes left in the game.Wyoming responded with seven straight to hold off the BHSU rally.
Krolikowski led the Yellow Jackets with 19 points.
"The second half, they beat us by five," Nore said. " Keely was really aggressive offensively and Alana Dykhouse was really physical, and she did a good job on the glass.Black Hills State forced 21 Wyoming turnovers and bothered Wyoming with the aggressive full court press throughout the game, finishing with nine steals.
The game was an exhibition for the Yellow Jackets, 5-2, and Nore said Tuesday night will prepare them for the rest of the season.
"This game scared me. It was a game where we wanted to come and just see what we were made of and compete," Nore said. "That's a great team, probably the best team that we have ever played. Just to compete like we did, I was really pleased."
For the Cowgirls, they will have a little time off before preparing for Idaho State Monday in the A-A.
Legerski said they will do some film work and treatment on Wednesday, take Thursday off for Thanksgiving and then get back at it on Friday.
“One of the things that we will definitely work on is getting the ball up the floor and get it entered into a wing catch in a position we are able to work with,” Legerski said. “Once again, 5-0 I am happy with, but we still have a great deal of work to do with this young group.”
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